WV Lottery - 06.30.11

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WV Business Filing Deadline Midnight 06.30.11

Annual reports for Incorporated Business and Limited Liability Companies in West Virginia must be filed with the Secretary of State’s office by midnight tonight.

“Updating, by state code, who your officers who are part of the business and the address,“ said Secretary of State Natalie Tennant. “That’s all we’re asking folks to do.“

Tennant says her office will be open later than usual tonight to assist any business needing help.

She says the better way to file the report is on-line at www.wvsos.com or www.businessforwestvirginia.com.

Failure to file the updated information by Thursday’s midnight (June 30, 2011) deadline will result in a $100 late filing penalty.

Businesses that continue to be delinquent in filing the report by September will be “administratively dissolved” and no longer allowed to do business in West Virginia.

West Virginia Department of Education Voids Simmons’s Contract as Superintendent of Gilmer County

The West Virginia Department of Education has intervened and voided Dr. William K. Simmons’s 2-year contract according to state code.

Although Dr. Simmons was sworn in as superintendent Tuesday morning, June 28, 2011 at Gilmer County Courthouse, Simmons said he now has received written notice of the void.

Simmons had said earlier that he planned to show up for work on his first day Friday because he hadn’t received any written notification that his contract is no longer valid. He says he just wanted to bring closure to the matter.

The Department of Education’s spokesperson Liza Cordeiro said it had no choice in the matter.

“What the board heard in that report was at a level that they felt they had to act right away. Ultimately, the Board is constitutionally responsible for providing an efficient education to every child in the state. They felt as though that wasn’t happening in Gilmer County,“ she said.

Every county superintendent’s contract has a clause that says it can be declared null and void if the state intervenes in the county’s school system, said Liza Cordeiro, spokeswoman for the state Department of Education.

“In our eyes, Mr. Blankenship is the state-appointed superintendent,“ Cordeiro said.

In her letter to Simmons, Department of Education lawyer Heather Deskins wrote that the state’s takeover voided his contract.

The West Virginia appointed Superintendent Ron Blankenship will start as Gilmer County superintend on Friday, July 01, 2011.

Ike Morris Receives the 2011 Colonel Edwin L. Drake Legendary Oilman Award

At the Honors and Awards Banquet of the 2011 Symposium of the Petroleum History Institute (PHI) this past Friday evening, June 24, 2011, in Marietta, OH, I.L. “Ike” Morris, founder and CEO of Waco Oil and Gas Company, Inc. received PHI’s highest and most prestigious recognition and award, “The Colonel Edwin L. Drake Legendary Oilman Award” in recognition of his lifetime achievements in, and contributions to, the petroleum industry, his state, country and society.

The PHI Drake Award is named in honor and commemoration of Colonel Edwin L. Drake’s momentous discovery of oil on August 27, 1859 along the bank of Oil Creek near Titusville, PA, that is generally conceded by most historians to have been the birth of the modern oil and gas industry that has grown from that humble beginning into its current stature as a giant, global energy industry upon which all of our modern society depends.

Ike Morris was born in Oklahoma, grew up in southeastern Illinois and moved to his now adopted home in 1962 in West Virginia. Morris’ father was in the oil and gas business, so one might say Ike Morris was born with “oil in his veins”.

Following an oil boom that was going in West Virginia in 1962, Morris first established an oil service company in Gilmer County, WV, his newly adopted home, and over the years continued to expand his operations to include all phases of the oil and natural gas business including land leasing, exploration, oil and gas production, pipeline construction, etc.

Over the past nearly 5 decades, Ike Morris has drilled and or operated 2000 oil and gas wells in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio.

Currently he operates about 800 wells in Harrison, Marion and Doddridge counties in West Virginia and is very active in the current Marcellus shale gas play drilling a new shale gas well every 2 to 3 weeks.

West Virginia has been good to Ike Morris, as he always concedes.

He met his wife Sue (a Gilmer County girl) here and by hard work, keen business acumen, and an innate “nose for oil and gas”, he has made a lot of well-earned money here.

However, that being said, Ike Morris and his wife Sue are as well known for their philanthropy as their success in the oil and gas business.

They have contributed millions of dollars to Glenville State College and numerous other charitable enterprises.

Ike to this day, despite his fame and fortune, remains an unpretentious “man of the people” and often stops in a small diner in Glenville for breakfast and buys breakfast for all of the other patrons who happen to be dining there that morning.

For all of these reasons, and far too many more to recite in the space available for this news release, l. L. “Ike” Morris, richly deserves designation as a PHI “Legendary Oilman” and the Petroleum History Institute takes great pride and pleasure in him joining the ranks of the distinguished “Colonel Edwin L. Drake Legendary Oilmen” that have preceded him.

Signup for 2012 Gypsy Moth Suppression Program to Begin July 01

Agriculture Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is urging West Virginia landowners to help the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) and West Virginia University (WVU) Extension Service fight gypsy moths, the state’s number one plant pest, through the Cooperative State-County-Landowner (CSCL) Gypsy Moth Suppression Program.

The CSCL Gypsy Moth Program will accept egg mass survey applications from landowners in Barbour, Berkeley, Braxton, Brooke, Doddridge, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Harrison, Jefferson, Lewis, Marion, Marshall, Mineral, Monongalia, Monroe, Morgan, Nicholas, Ohio, Pendleton, Pleasants, Pocahontas, Preston, Randolph, Ritchie, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, Webster, and Wetzel Counties.

The signup period runs from July 01-August 31, 2011.

Landowners must provide a 7½-minute topographic map with property boundaries clearly marked. The WVDA cannot map your property for you. Topographic maps are available from the United States Geological Survey at 1.800.ASK.USGS or their website at store.usgs.gov.

The minimum acreage required to participate in the program is 50 contiguous acres of wooded land. Adjoining landowners may combine their properties to meet the acreage requirement. Blocks must be made as rectangular as possible to be treated properly by aircraft without significant overspray.

The presence of electrical transmission lines, communication towers, etc. may prohibit some blocks or portions of some blocks from being sprayed.

Application forms and brochures detailing the program are available at the WVDA’s Plant Industries Division website at: www.wvagriculture.org/images/Plant_Industries/About_Us.html or home.comcast.net/~wvdanewcreek/, your local WVU Extension offices, and at WVDA field offices in Elkins (304.637.0290), Inwood (304.229.5828), Morgantown (304.285.3133), New Creek (304.788.1066), and Moorefield (304.538.2397).

Once applications are received, a forest health protection expert will visit the property to determine if the level of gypsy moth infestation meets program guidelines. A final decision to participate in the program must be confirmed by signing a contract and making a deposit to the WVDA by early December 2011. A final payment to the WVDA will be required prior to actual treatment. Notification of the deadline for final payment will be by mail.

During the last few years, the cost for gypsy moth treatment under the CSCL Gypsy Moth Program has been $33.43 per acre for Btk and $20.96 per acre for Dimilin, but prices for the coming year may be higher.

A 50% cost share on treatments may be available from the USDA Forest Service through a cooperative agreement with the WVDA.

The total cost depends on the USDA Forest Service cost sharing, total acres proposed for treatment, and the cost of the insecticide and aerial application.

For more information, contact WVDA Plant Industries Division Director Sherrie Hutchinson at 304.558.2212 or Assistant Division Director and Gypsy Moth Program Manager Quentin “Butch” Sayers at 304.788.1066.

Less Than 50% of State Workers Take Advantage of PEIA Discounts

Less than half of state workers eligible to get a discount on their health insurance beginning Friday have chosen to do so.

The Public Employees Insurance Agency Finance Board passed a health insurance plan last year that takes effect July 01.

It includes a $14 dollar increase in monthly premiums for active state workers, but the workers can wipe out the total increase by getting a wellness check and providing proof of a living will.

PEIA spokesperson Diane Holley-Brown says so far 46% of state workers have gotten the wellness check while 36% have done the living will.

“We expect those numbers to go up substantially once the new premiums go into effect,“ Holley-Brown said.

The wellness check requirement includes a cholesterol check, blood sugar measurement, blood pressure check and waist circumference measurement.

“The whole key is to know your numbers,“ Holley-Brown said.

State workers appear more reluctant to participate in the living will discount program.

Holley-Brown says the state doesn’t want to see the details of a person’s living will; they just want to see proof that they have one.

The opportunity to get the discounts will continue past July 01.

Forms can be printed out from the PEIA website

PEIA had a number of worksite wellness to help workers.

Gilmer County Senior Center Picnic - Friday, 07.01.11

Glenville: Hospice Care Group - BAG SALE – Friday, July 01, 2011

The Hospice Care Group and Thrift Shop is having a bag sale on Friday, July 01, 2010 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on clothes and shoes.

Grocery bag $1.00 or 13 Gallon Bag $5.00 plus tax.

Toys are 50% off.

Glenville Hospice Thrift Shop is located at Foodland Plaza in Glenville.

WV Attorney General McGraw to Run for Sixth Term

West Virginia’s Attorney General Darrell McGraw announced this week his intention to run for a record sixth term as the state’s lead law enforcement officer.

The Wyoming County Democrat was first elected to his post as attorney general in 1992.

Prior to holding that office, McGraw served on WV State Supreme Court.

From 1976 to 1988 he was the chief justice on the court.

McGraw says he’s built the state Consumer Protection Division into a “nationally recognized powerhouse,“ during his time in office.

The division has recovered more than $2 billion by enforcing laws against large corporations, according to a McGraw press release.

It should be noted that McGraw, 74, is married to Jorea Marple, who is the first women to serve as state superintendent of schools.

WVU Researcher Looking into Foiling Stink Bugs

A West Virginia University researcher is examining the use of one insect to possibly stop the destruction caused by another.

Entomologist Yong-Lak Park is studying the potential of the spined soldier bug as a natural deterrent to the brown marmorated stink bug.

The stink bug preys on more than 300 crops and also attack trees and ornamentals.

WVU says the State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania asked Park to come up with a control to the brown marmorated stink bug without forcing growers to resort to chemicals.

The spined soldier bug is another variety of stink bug but is considered a beneficial predator that feeds on other insects.

Park says while spined soldier bugs don’t have an appetite for adult brown marmorated stink bugs, they do eat their eggs.

Parkersburg: City Council OKs Urban Hunt

Thanks to an 8 to 1 vote from Parkersburg City Council, Parkersburg residents will soon be permitted to hunt deer inside city limits.

Parkersburg City Council approved the final reading of an ordinance that allows urban deer hunting.

Officials hope hunting will help control a booming deer population in the city.

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources will oversee the program, which will have designated areas for hunters.

Some residents spoke out against the plan, saying it could pose a threat to residents.

Council voted down a similar ordinance last year by a 5 to 4 vote.

City officials say they will now have to consider ways to go forward with an urban hunt.

The season starts two weeks prior to archery season in October.

It can last until December 31.

GSC Men’s Basketball Golf Outing 2011 - July 09

Doddridge County: Former Sheriff Sentenced on Sex Related Charges

Bill Holden, the former Doddridge County Sheriff pleaded guilty to one count of showing obscene matter with intent to seduce a minor on Wednesday.

He was sentenced to two years in prison but that was suspended for supervised probation.

In 2009, Holden was charged with intent to seduce a minor and first degree sexual abuse by a parent, guardian or custodian.

Holden allegedly sexually abused a then 10-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl.

G-Comm™: Thomas Jefferson, the American Mind and the Cosmic System

On May 26, 1776, John Adams, who represented Massachusetts at the Second Continental Congress, wrote exultantly to his friend James Warren that “every post and every day rolls in upon us independence like a torrent.” Adams had reason for rejoicing, for this was what he and others had hoped and worked for almost since the Congress had convened in May of the previous year. It helped, to be sure, that George III had proclaimed the colonies in rebellion and this encouraged the Americans to take him at his word. Later, George Washington proceeded to drive General Howe out of Boston. This demonstrated that Americans need not stand on the defensive, but could vindicate themselves in military strategy quite as well as in political.

However exciting to some, America was going through the difficult process of being born. In any event, the stage of history was being set. On June 07, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced three resolutions calling for independence, foreign alliances, and confederation. Some wanted unity and voted to postpone the final vote for three weeks. This allowed time for debate and for the hesitant and fainthearted to come over or step out. Meantime, Congress appointed a committee to prepare “a Declaration of Independence.” This committee consisted of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson had come to the Continental Congress the previous year, bringing with him a reputation for literature, science, and a talent for composition. His writings, said John Adams, “were remarkable for their peculiar felicity of expression.” In part because of his rhetorical gifts, in part because he already had a reputation of working quickly, in part because it was thought that Virginia, as the oldest, the largest, and the most deeply committed of the states, should take the lead, the committee unanimously turned to Jefferson to prepare a draft declaration.

We know a great deal about the composition of that draft. Jefferson wrote it standing at his desk (still preserved) in the second-floor parlor of a young German bricklayer named Graff, and he completed it in two weeks. We have his word for it that he “turned neither to book nor pamphlet” and that all the authority of the Declaration “rests on the harmonizing sentiments of the day, whether expressed in conversation, in letters, printed essays, or in the elementary books of public right, as Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, Sidney, etc.” We can accept Jefferson’s statement made fifty years later that the object of the Declaration was to be “an appeal to the tribunal of the world”—that “decent respect to the opinions of Mankind” invoked in the Declaration itself. However, in Jefferson’s words (as he wrote to James Madison in 1823), it certainly was “not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of; not merely to say things which had never been said before; but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take. Neither aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, nor yet copied from any particular and previous writing, it was intended to be an expression of the American mind, and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion.”

The Declaration of Independence, then, was an expression of the American mind that was prevalent in the colonies of that time. As Jefferson stated, the Declaration contained no new ideas, nor was there any originality in it on his part. He merely articulated what people of that day were thinking.

The basic elements of the American mind are set forth in the opening paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration opens by stating:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands, which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

The opening paragraph of the Declaration states that the colonists are impelled or required to separate from Great Britain for certain reasons:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security

This preamble sums up with lucidity, logic, and eloquence the philosophy which presided over the argument for the American Revolution, the creation of a new political system, and the vindication of the rights of man—all in less than two hundred words. Here we find expressed what is universal rather than parochial, what is permanent rather than transient, in the American Revolution. Where most of the body of the Declaration is retrospective, the preamble is prospective. In the years to come, it would be translated into the basic institutions of the American republic.

Consider the opening words of the Declaration: “When, in the Course of human events…” That places it, and the Revolution, at once in the appropriate setting, against the backdrop of not merely American or British but universal history. That connects it with the experience of people everywhere—not only at a moment in history, but in every era. This concept of the place of American history is underlined by successive phrases of the opening sentence. It points to a future of hope and optimism.

Thus, the new nation is to assume its place “among the powers of the earth.” It is not the laws of the British empire, or even of history, but of “Nature and of Nature’s God” which entitled Americans to an equal station. Moreover, it is “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind” that requires this justification. No other political document of the eighteenth century proclaims so broad a purpose. No political document of our own day associates the United States so boldly with universal history in the cosmic system.

The American mind of the colonial period did not acknowledge a different order of truth, one for the lofty realms of mathematics, another for the more earthbound regions, and still another for society, politics, and the economy. While clearly discernible in the natural world, the cause of “Nature and of Nature’s God” applied equally to the world of politics and to the law. Benjamin Franklin, as a young man, said:

How exact and regular is everything in the natural World! How wisely in every part contriv’d. We cannot here find the least Defect. Those who have studied the mere animal and vegetable Creation demonstrate that nothing can be more harmonious and beautiful! All the heavenly bodies, the Stars and Planets, are regulated with the utmost Wisdom! And can we suppose less care to be taken in the Order of the Moral than in the natural System?

From such a God-ordered system, certain truths are self-evident. To Jefferson, these self-evident truths formed a total reality. He listed seven of them:

1. That all men are created equal;

2. That human beings are endowed by their Creator with “unalienable” rights;

3. That these rights include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;

4. That it is to secure these rights that government is instituted among men;

5. That governments are instituted to derive their powers from the consent of the governed;

6. That when a form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it becomes illegitimate and a citizenry may alter or abolish it; and,

7. That people have the right, then, to institute new governments designed to effect their safety and happiness.

Jefferson drew from many different sources to effectuate the principles that are enunciated in the Declaration and that have become embodied in the modern concept of the rights of people. As historian Henry Steele Commager writes:

What Americans did was more important than invent new principles; in the telling phrase of John Adams, “they realized the theories of the wisest writers.” They actualized them, they legalized them, they institutionalized them. That was, and remains, the supreme achievement of the American Revolution, indeed, in the longer perspective, that was and is the American Revolution.

Men speak not only in verbal language but also in the language of history—in the context and meaning of their time and place. It was the language of American colonial history which was written into the Declaration of Independence and other documents that were to follow. These drew upon not only the European and classical sources so often cited by the shapers of American history, John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu, but also Aristotle, Cicero, Plutarch, Hobbes, Burlamaqui, John Milton, Hooker, David Hume, Bolingbroke, William Blackstone, Burke, Shaftesbury, and a score of collateral branches. As author James Burnham notes:

But the Fathers were the masters, not the victims, of these inherited ideas, and sometimes it is the rhetoric more than the ideas that is taken over. The Fathers were protected from ideology not only by piety and a native skepticism toward abstract reason, but by their persistent sense of fact, of the specific.

The language of “Reason” and “Nature” had a long philosophical and legal history and was by no means the exclusive property of the Enlightenment writers. For example, in 1644, the Scottish educator, Samuel Rutherford, in Lex Rex, cited Aristotle and Aquinas and appealed to “God and Nature.”

Moreover, many men use words which to others imply a religious view not held by the speaker or writer without an awareness either of the divergence of meaning or the mixed presuppositions. Witness, for example, Reverend John Witherspoon, an influential Presbyterian leader who in 1768 assumed the presidency of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). An orthodox Calvinist, Witherspoon, without any sense of contradiction, spoke in the language of rights and reason, combining it with his Christianity.

In spite of this pragmatic usage, there was, however, an element of philosophical indistinction which must be recognized. The epistemological awareness developed over the last two centuries cannot be read back into the colonial period; nor, on the other hand, can modern secularism be so read into the philosophy of the Declaration of Independence. To speak therefore of an “American Enlightenment” is to attempt to read into the Revolution later developments in American thought.

Ideas beget progeny which soon outstrip the narrow concepts of their creator. This is, in a special degree, true of the philosophy of the American colonists.

A concept of both the Declaration of Independence and the American mind is that all men are created equal. This phrase was developed and written in a time when the American colonies labored under the enigma and curse of the slavery of African-Americans.

America in 1776 as well as in 1787 (the time of the drafting of the Constitution) was a slave state in apparent contradiction of what many of the framers proclaimed. The same Thomas Jefferson who, for instance, could rhetorically claim that “all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence possessed, at that time, black slaves. “How is it,” Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) mused, “that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty from the drivers of Negroes?”

In fairness to Jefferson, it must be noted that he did provide an antislavery section in an initial draft of the Declaration of Independence. Unfortunately, this section was later removed by Congress, against the protests of Jefferson. In his early years, Jefferson authored also a bevy of antislavery legislation, most of which never came to fruition.. And Jefferson’s anti-slavery ideas had an immense impact on Abraham Lincoln. As Lincoln said: “I am sustained by Mr. Jefferson.”

Of course, there will always be contradictions wherever men and women exist. This was true of the American colonists. They were not perfect men and women. This is the plight of human beings. However, that does not invalidate the concepts enunciated in the Declaration of Independence. Stated in the Declaration of Independence, and as they became part of the American culture, the concepts and ideas take on a universal meaning. In essence, the ideas have escaped from the pages of the document and have entered the flow of cosmic history.

~~  by John Whitehead ~~

OddlyEnough: AA-12 Fully Automatic Shotgun!!!

Upcoming Movies - 07.01.11

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Opened Wedneasday, June 29, 2011 | Runtime: 2 hr. 37 min.

PG-13 - Intense prolonged sequences of sci-fi action violence, mayhem and destruction, and for language, some sexuality and innuendo

Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) taking his first tenuous steps into adulthood while remaining a reluctant human ally of Optimus Prime. The film centers around the space race between the U.S.S.R. and the USA, suggesting there was a hidden Transformers role in it all that remains one of the planet’s most dangerous secrets. The villain of the third film will be Shockwave.

Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand

Director: Michael Bay

Genres: Sci-Fi ActionAlien FilmActionScience Fiction

 

 

Larry Crowne

Opens Friday, July 01, 2011 | Runtime: 1 hr. 39 min.

PG-13 - Brief strong language and some sexual content

Once well-respected at his company, Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) finds himself on the unemployment line after a wave of corporate downsizing. Drowning in debt and unsure of what to do with his life, Larry enrolls in college, where he becomes part of a community of misfits who are all trying to carve out a better future. The possibility of romance enters the picture when Larry meets Mercedes Tainot (Julia Roberts), an instructor who has lost her passion for both teaching and her marriage.

Cast: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Bryan Cranston, Cedric the Entertainer, Taraji P. Henson

Director: Tom Hanks

Genres: Romantic ComedyComedy Drama

 

 

Monte Carlo

Opens Friday, July 01, 2011

PG

A young woman, her uptight step sister and her best friend use their savings for a long anticipated dream trip to Paris, which turns out to be a big disappointment. When they decide to take a break from their lousy tour and duck into the lobby of a five-star hotel, one of them is mistaken for a spoiled British heiress. Before they get the chance to reveal their true identities they are wrapped up in a whirlwind of paparazzi, private planes, couture gowns, storybook romances, and a vacation in Monte Carlo.

Cast: Selena Gomez,Leighton Meester,Katie Cassidy,Corey Monteith,Andie MacDowell

Genre: Romantic Comedy

WVU Football: Play Smart. Play Hard. Play Fast.

 

 

 

G-OB™: Gilmer County Recreation Center - Part Time Cooks‏

Part Time Cooks needed.

Call 304.462.7653 or 304.266.0020 for more information.

If no answer please leave a message.

Thanks.

Lisa K Smarr
Gilmer County Recreation Center
PO Box 306
Glenville, WV 26351
304.462.7653

G-OB™: Babcock Lumber Company - Class A CDL driver

Babcock Lumber Company is accepting applications for a Class A CDL driver.

This position offers competitive wages, 401k, health insurance, paid vacation and holidays, group life insurance, and more.

Applications are available at 1294 North Lewis Street, Glenville, WV between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM Monday – Friday.

No phone calls please.                 

G-OB™: Gilmer County Recreation Center - Pool Lifeguards

Lifeguards needed.

Please call 304.462.7653 or 304.266.0020 for more information.

Lisa K Smarr
Gilmer County Recreation Center
PO Box 306
Glenville, WV 26351

Bon Appétit: Baked Tilapia with Dill Sauce

Ingredients:
4 (4 ounce) fillets tilapia
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, or to taste
1 lemon, thinly sliced
   
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Season the tilapia fillets with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning on both sides.

Arrange the seasoned fillets in a single layer in the baking dish.

Place a layer of lemon slices over the fish fillets.

Use about 2 slices on each piece so that it covers most of the surface of the fish.

Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

While the fish is baking, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder, lemon juice and dill in a small bowl.

Serve with tilapia.

Daily G-Eye™ : 06.30.11

Rose of Sharon, Lockney, WV

Submit photos for this daily feature. You may select to have your name listed as well.
Send your photo(s) to “tellus@gilmerfreepress.net”

Stargazing - 06.30.11

About an hour after darkness falls, the Milky Way curves from the northeast to the south-southeast.

In the northeast, look for cross-shaped Cygnus, the swan, immersed in the Milky Way’s glow.

And in the south and southeast, look for the scorpion and Sagittarius, the archer.

Great Comet of 1861

This year marks the 150th anniversary of a great comet that took astronomers by surprise, creating a fearsome spectacle in the night sky.

A comet is a ball of ice and rock that originates in the distant reaches of the solar system, beyond Neptune and Pluto. The Great Comet of 1861 approached Earth from the south, so an observer in Australia was the first to see it. He discovered the comet on May 13th.

The comet headed north and a month later, on June 12th, came closest to the Sun. In an era before rapid communications, though, word of the comet didn’t reach the northern hemisphere until the comet itself did. On June 30th, people in Europe and North America were stunned to see what an observer in Greece called “a comet of truly fearful appearance.“ The comet’s huge head looked as large as the full Moon, and its tail stretched across the heavens.

The comet looked so huge in part because it came quite close to Earth—about 12 million miles. It was so close that Earth probably passed through the comet’s tail.

The Great Comet of 1861 is on such a long orbit around the Sun that it won’t return any time soon. But a similar comet swung past in 1996. Named Hyakutake, this comet also passed close to Earth and sported a long tail. Both comets are reminders that you never know when the next cometary spectacle will grace the sky.

G-MM™: Meditation Moment - 06.30.11

The crowd praised God for giving such power to a human being.

We are in need of heroes today.

Richard Rohr writes ‘In the absence of any central reference point or any real eldership today, seventeen-year-olds turn to their peers for pseudo-initiations.

The blind leading the blind never takes the place of real eldership or true authority.

When we do not believe in something, we will fall for anything.’ (Adam’s Return, p. 80).

Can you imagine dying for your beliefs?

Can you imagine living for your beliefs?

Who do you look to for guidance and reassurance to give you strength and purpose?

Can you imagine not living your beliefs?

Genesis 22:1-19. I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living—Ps 114(116):1-6, 8-9. Matthew 9:1-8.

Dallas “Duck” Cottrell

Dallas “Duck” Cottrell
Age 57, of Reedy, WV, died June 28, 2011, at home.

He was born August 10, 1953 in Calhoun County, a son of Cecil and Ivah Sampson Cottrell of Reedy.

He was a farmer and laborer and did odds and ends.

In addition to his parents, he is survived by five brothers, Kenny D. and Bernard Cottrell, both of Reedy, Ronnie L. Cottrell of Sandyville, WV, Melvin Cottrell of Lubeck, WV, and Jerry Cottrell of Parkersburg, WV; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by a sister, Helen Cottrell Winnell.

Services will be held 2:00 PM Friday at the Reedy United Methodist Church with Rev. Richard McKenzie officiating.

Burial will be in the Board Cemetery near Reedy.

Visiting hours are Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at the Taylor-Vandale Funeral Home in Spencer, WV.

06.30.11

Today - June 30, yyyy

Today is Thursday, June 30, the 181st day of 2011. There are 184 days left in the year.

Thought for Today: “In order to go on living one must try to escape the death involved in perfectionism.“ — Hannah Arendt, German-born American philosopher and historian (1906-1975).

Today’s Highlight in History:

On June 30, 1936, the epic Civil War novel “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell was first published by The Macmillan Co. in New York.

On this date:

In 1859, French acrobat Charles Blondin walked back and forth on a tightrope above the gorge of Niagara Falls as thousands of spectators watched.

In 1860, the famous Oxford University Museum debate on Darwin’s theory of evolution took place as Anglican Bishop Samuel Wilberforce led his side in denouncing the concept, while biologist T.H. Huxley rose to defend it.

In 1908, the Tunguska Event took place in Russia as an asteroid exploded above Siberia, leaving 800 square miles of scorched or blown-down trees.

In 1921, President Warren G. Harding nominated former President William Howard Taft to be chief justice of the United States, succeeding the late Edward Douglass White.

In 1934, Adolf Hitler carried out his “blood purge” of political and military rivals in Germany in what came to be known as “The Night of the Long Knives.“

In 1958, the US Senate passed the Alaska statehood bill by a vote of 64-20.

In 1961, electronics inventor Lee DeForest died in Hollywood at age 87.

In 1963, Pope Paul VI was crowned the 262nd head of the Roman Catholic Church.

In 1971, the Supreme Court ruled, 6-3, that the government could not prevent The New York Times or the Washington Post from publishing the Pentagon Papers. A Soviet space mission ended in tragedy when three cosmonauts aboard Soyuz 11 were found dead of asphyxiation inside their capsule after it had returned to Earth.

In 1985, 39 American hostages from a hijacked TWA jetliner were freed in Beirut after being held 17 days.

Ten years ago:
•  Doctors implanted a dual-purpose pacemaker in Vice President Dick Cheney’s chest.
•  President George W. Bush met with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at Camp David.
•  A NASA observatory rocketed into space on a mission to scan the universe for the faint afterglow of creation.
•  Guitarist Chet Atkins died in Nashville at age 77.
•  Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson died in San Francisco at age 64.

Five years ago:
•  A tired-sounding Osama bin Laden praised slain Iraq insurgent Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in an audiotape.
•  The government of the Netherlands resigned over a failed attempt to strip Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a prominent Somali-born critic of Islam, of her Dutch citizenship.

One year ago:
•  President Barack Obama talked about the economy at a town hall in Racine, Wis., saying, “We got it moving again,“ and that he intended to get “our debt and our deficits under control,“ but warned he wouldn’t slash spending at the expense of the economic rebound.
•  Benigno Aquino III was sworn in as the Philippines’ 15th president.

Today’s Birthdays:
Actor Tony Musante is 75
Actress Nancy Dussault is 75
Singer Glenn Shorrock is 67
Jazz musician Stanley Clarke is 60
Actor David Garrison is 59
Rock musician Hal Lindes (Dire Straits) is 58
Actor-comedian David Alan Grier is 55
Actor Vincent D’Onofrio is 52
Actress Deirdre Lovejoy is 49
Actor Rupert Graves is 48
Boxer Mike Tyson is 45
Rock musician Tom Drummond (Better Than Ezra) is 42
Actor Brian Bloom is 41
Actor Brian Vincent is 41
Actress Monica Potter is 40
Actor Rick Gonzalez is 32
Actress Lizzy Caplan is 29
Rhythm-and-blues singer Fantasia (“American Idol”) is 27
Olympic gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps is 26

G-FYI™: United States Attorney’s Office Complaint Form

Following the questionable and unprecedented takeover of Gilmer County schools by the West Virginia State Board of Education on June 08, 2011, many Gilmer County citizens have been searching for a way to show their dissatisfaction and lack of faith in the people at the West Virginia State Education Department.

Letters to the Editor, public polls, and comments show that people in Gilmer County are not satisfied that the takeover was set into motion for other than political reasons.

Per your requests, the following printable document can be filled out and submitted per instruction on the form:

United States Attorney’s Office Complaint Form

G-LtE™: Rebuttal to Charleston Gazette

The article in today’s issue of Charleston Gazette contributes to more mystery associated with the State’s sudden and unexpected seizure of Gilmer County schools.

Because the article pertained to Dr. Simmons what is the relevancy of information about GLENVILLE STATE COLLEGE?

Was there anything in the vacancy announcement to document that the new superintendent would execute any responsibilities which would affect the College or that GLENVILLE STATE COLLEGE officials would have roles in the selection process?

No!

The decision for hiring Dr. Simmons was the responsibility of our elected officials who used a democratic process for their decision.

Word has circulated that at least one high level official from GLENVILLE STATE COLLEGE made a call to Charleston to contribute to OEPA’s rushing to Glenville to trigger the unexpected seizure.

If GLENVILLE STATE COLLEGE’s involvement is true, does it not suggest tampering with County business?

Also, does it not suggest that the ugly head of politics dominated?

Accordingly, there are three key questions related to what happened to Dr. Simmons.

•  Was he the most qualified candidate who applied for the vacant position?

•  Was he discriminated against because of his age?

•  Was political intervention by GLENVILLE STATE COLLEGE officials and others principal reasons for the seizure and its impact on Dr. Simmons?

More information will be forthcoming.

Fortunately, truth has a stubborn way of prevailing, particular in this information age of computer literacy.

~~  Author and Source on File ~~

Gilmer County Schools Has 2 Superintendents?

West Virginia Education Association Repoting:

Gilmer County Schools has 2 superintendents?

1, hired by local board of education, plans to show up for work Friday; a 2nd has been hired by the state

By Davin White

The Charleston Gazette

CHARLESTON, W.Va.—On Friday morning, it could get a little crowded at Gilmer County Schools’ central office in Glenville.

Earlier this month, West Virginia Board of Education members took over the county school system. They have since hired Ron Blankenship of Calhoun County as Gilmer’s superintendent.

However, William K. Simmons, a former Glenville State College president whom Gilmer school board members hired as superintendent before the state takeover, plans to report for his first day of work Friday. His contract is set to begin that day.

State school board members took control of Gilmer County’s school system after auditors said county board members’ operations were dysfunctional, and board members had created a flawed system of hiring, transfers and work-force reductions.

“In our eyes, Mr. Blankenship is the state-appointed superintendent,“ West Virginia Department of Education spokeswoman Liza Cordeiro said.

Tuesday morning, Simmons asked that Gilmer County Circuit Clerk Karen Lee Elkins administer the oath of office to him.

“I know that, if I didn’t take the oath of office and I showed up on July 1, I would not be able to do the job,“ Simmons said. “I would not be legitimate.“

Elkins typed up an oath of office and administered it to Simmons, she said. She also gave him a copy.

Elkins said that if someone comes into her office and asks to take an oath of office, she would administer it to them. A circuit clerk, county clerk or a notary public can give an oath of office, she said.

However, Elkins doesn’t know if the oath she gave Simmons is proper, or worth anything.

“I didn’t go out looking for him. I don’t know who the superintendent is,“ she said. “I don’t have a dog in that fight.“

Simmons said he has received legal advice that he still has a valid contract and that he should be willing to do his duties as of Friday. He would not name the lawyers he had consulted, and said he has not hired any.

He’s received no written notification that his contract with the Gilmer County Board of Education is not valid.

“If someone sends me notification, then that’s one thing,“ Simmons said. “I’m not trying to be difficult, [but] I’m not trying to be negligent in my duties. I’m sure, on July 1, we’ll get it all sorted out.“

Cordeiro, though, said state school board members, at a June 8 meeting, passed a motion that immediately voided any existing contract with a “subsequent superintendent” in Gilmer County.

At that meeting, state board members hired former state superintendent Ted Mattern as interim Gilmer County superintendent, then replaced him with Blankenship on June 24. Blankenship retired as superintendent of Calhoun County in 2007. 

Also, a clause exists in every county superintendent’s contract that says if the state intervenes in the county school system, the county superintendent’s contract can be declared null and void, Cordeiro said.

Simmons said people in Gilmer County have “spoken loudly and clearly” about what they want—someone who understands the county, the needs of the county and education. He said several parents and other Gilmer County residents asked him to apply for the superintendent’s job.

Gilmer County school board members voted 3-2 to hire Simmons.

“I did it because I was asked to by a lot of people I respect,“ Simmons said. “They said, ‘You are above politics and we want someone who is above playing political games.‘“

Simmons is an adjunct English professor who teaches at Marshall University’s Graduate College in Nicholas County. He said he’s taught everyone from “seventh grade to doctoral students” in college, high school and junior high school.

“I love to teach Chaucer, history of the English language,“ he said. “I’m an old-time teacher. I like to write on the board, get chalk dust on my sleeves.“

Simmons had a tumultuous 21-year tenure as president of Glenville State College, where he resigned in 1999 for what he said were health reasons.

He helped orchestrate the firing of state higher education chancellor Leon Ginsberg in the mid-1980s, and later became chancellor himself while remaining in the Glenville State post.

In 1994, 74 percent of the faculty cast no-confidence votes against him. Four professors later sued him, saying they were denied promotions or stripped of their department chairmanships because they opposed him. Taxpayers paid more than $600,000 to settle those lawsuits in 1998.

“If you work long enough,“ Simmons said, “you develop a few enemies, certainly.“

He’s sure there are people who don’t like him very much, but he doesn’t believe that should overshadow the needs of children or the educational direction in Gilmer County.

Kenna Seal, the outgoing director of the Office of Education Performance Audits, said earlier this month: “Delaying the intervention for any period of time would not be in the best interest of the students.“

Education auditors conducted an unannounced visit in Gilmer County from May 2 to 4.

“Based on the entirety of the problems in the county and the decisions, or lack thereof, there is scant hope that the school system can be improved with the current county board,“ Seal said.

Further, state auditors said a review of the county’s school board minutes show board members are trying to “micro-manage, essentially replacing their administrators’ and county superintendent’s recommendations with their own.“

WV Lottery - 06.29.11

7-1-3

9-5-4-5

12-16-18-24-31     HB: 09    

24-30-45-57-59     PB: 26   PowerPlay: x 3  

Gilmer County Circuit Court Report - 06.28.11

 

Chief Judge Richard A. Facemire appeared in Gilmer County for his regular monthly motion day on Monday, June 27, 2011.

•  One fugitive from justice waived extradition back to the state of Ohio.

Matthew Alan Barto was represented by Sutton attorney, David Karickhoff.

Authorities in Ohio have until 4:00 PM on Tuesday, July 05, 2011 to pick Barto up or Central Regional Jail will release him.

•  Two juvenile cases were reviewed and further hearings will be set Wednesday, August 24, 2011 at 9:10 and 9:20 AM.

Several defendants were before the Court, some for pleas and some for sentencing as follows:

•  State of West Virginia vs. Yarica Jackson

and

•  State of West Virginia vs. Mary Ann Starcher were each sentenced to:

a)  not less than 1 nor more than 5 years on Count 1 of the indictment;

b)  not less than 1 nor more than 5 years on Count 21 of the indictment;

c)  not less than 1 nor more than 5 years on Count 41 of the indictment,

d)  not less than 1 nore more than 5 years on Count 61 of the indictment,

e)  not less than 1 nor more than 5 years on Count 62 of the indictment, and

f)  not less than 1 nor more than 5 years on Count 81 of the indictment.

All the sentences will run consecutive to each other for a total of not less than 6 nor more than 30 years.

Jackson will pay court costs but had no fine assessed against her.

She was represented by Kevin Hughart of Sissonville.

Starcher was fined $10,000.00 in addition to the court costs.

She was represented by Christina Flanigan of Buckhannon.

•  State of West Virginia vs. Danny J. Reaser

He was before the Court for sentencing upon his former plea of guilty to failure to provide sex offender registration change of information.

Judge Facemire ordered him to self report for Diagnosis and Classification and then he will be sentenced on Monday, October 24, 2011 at 9:30 AM.

Reaser was also represented by Kevin Hughart.

•  State of West Virginia vs. James Roberson

He was also before the Court for sentencing upon his former plea of guilty to possession with the intent to manufacture (marijuana).

He was sentenced to not less than 1 nor more than 5 years in the penitentiary with the sentence being suspended and him being placed on probation for 5 years

He must perform 100 hours of community service for each year of probation, and he must enroll in college or a trade school or get full time employment.

He has to pay customary and usual court costs but no fine and he must do a book report and submit to the court.

Roberson was also represented by Kevin Hughart.

•  State of West Virginia vs. Angel Hart

She was sentenced to not less than 1 nor more than 5 years in the penitentiary upon her former “Kennedy plea” (no admission of guilt) to conspiracy.

Her sentence was suspended and she was placed on 5 years probation with no fine but customary court costs.

She also must maintain employment.

Later in the day she was given a breathalyzer test and results were positive for alcohol.

She was represented by R. Russell Stobbs of Weston.

•  State of West Virginia vs. Laura LaFever

She pled guilty to 2 misdemeanor charges of trespass and petit larceny.

All other counts of her indictment were dismissed by the prosecutor.

She was represented by David Karickhoff of Sutton and will be sentenced on Wednesday, August 24, 2011 at 10:15 AM.

•  State of West Virginia vs. Jimmy Sandy

He failed to appear for his sentencing and a capias was issued for his immediate arrest with bond being set at $250,000.00 CASH.

He was represented by Christopher Moffatt of Charleston.

•  State of West Virginia vs. Roseann Jean Shelton

She was before the Court for a plea and she was represented by David Karickhoff.

She pled to count 2 of the indictment charging child neglect creating risk of injury.

Count 1 of the indictment was dismissed by the prosecutor.

Judge Facemire ordered the probation officer to do a presentence investigation and set sentencing for Wednesday, August 24, 2011 at 11:00 AM.

On April 29, 2011, Shelton had failed to appear in Court for a pre-trial hearing and Judge Facemire ordered a capias be issued for her, and she has been incarcerated since that time under a $200,000.00 cash bond.

On this date, judge reset the bond at $15,000.00 and if she posts bond she will be released from jail pending sentencing Wednesday, August 24, 2011.

•  State of West Virginia vs. Billy Tomblin

He was before the Court again for reconsideration of his one year sentence in the Central Regional Jail imposed by Judge Facemire previously.

After much deliberation Judge Facemire gave him a second chance and released him from jail and readmitted him to 5 years probation.

He is to perform community service by working at an animal shelter or for a veterinarian (with no pay).

He is to make restitution at a minimum of $50.00 per month and get a part time job while he is attending Glenville State College.

He also must pay court costs and his jury costs.

Desi Garrett, one of the victims of his crime, spoke at the hearing again.

Tomblin was also represented by David Karickhoff.

•  State of West Virginia vs. Shanna Marie Johnson

She was before the Court for sentencing upon her former plea of guilty to count 1 charging forgery and count 2 charging uttering. She received two consecutive 1-10 year sentences in the penitentiary, with sentencing being deferred until she goes to Anthony Center as part of her Braxton County plea deal.

She received no fine but must pay court costs.

She may apply for probation if she successfully completes the program at Anthony Center.

She was represented by Clinton Bischoff of Summersville.

•  State of West Virginia vs. Jerome Biscombe

He was to appear for his plea hearing, but the Clerk’s office had failed to sent a notice to his newly hired criminal attorney so neither showed up.

Judge Facemire ordered a capias be issued and his bond revoked.

However, after the Clerk explained the error to the Court he reset the plea hearing for Thursday, July 07, 2011 at 9:30 AM.

Kevin Hughart was his court appointed attorney, but he has since hired Timothy Gentilozzi of Clarksburg.

•  State of West Virginia vs. Telerra L. Lowry

She was before the Court for sentencing upon her former plea to conspiracy.

She was given a 1-5 year sentence, which was suspended and she was placed on 5 years probation which will be transferred to the state of Oklahoma where she now resides with her father.

She received no fine but must pay court costs within 18 months.

She was represented by Daniel Grindo of Gassaway.

•  State of West Virginia vs. Richard Lee Siers

He saw his plea continued to Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 9:30 AM upon the request of his attorney David Karickhoff.

•  State of West Virginia vs. Stephanie Smart

Her plea was rescheduled for Thursday, July 07, 2011 at 9:30 AM.

She was represented by Christina Flanigan of Buckhannon.

Later she failed her urine screen and must self report to Central Regional Jail at 9:00 AM on Tuesday, June 28, 2011 unless she produces a prescription for what showed up in her urine.

Education Audit Takes a Look at School Building Authority (SBA)

SBA Executive Director Mark Manchin says he and his staff embrace an audit of their office.

The entire state Department of Education is under an audit.

It was called for by former Governor Joe Manchin last year before he left office and then put into effect recently by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin.

The goal is to find out if the department is spending its money wisely.

Currently the Department of Education takes up more than half the state budget.

Mark Manchin met with the independent audit team Tuesday.

He says for the SBA, dollars and cents aren’t really what the experts are looking for.

“It’s not necessarily a financial audit as it is an organizational audit,“ Mark Manchin said.

Since the SBA was formed back in 1989, it has handed out nearly $2 billion in grants to help county systems construct and renovate hundreds of schools.

Mark Manchin says this year is no different.

“Ten people are overseeing about 600 million dollars worth of projects as we speak. I’m very proud of our staff and the organization that we have here and what we’re doing,” he said.

West Virginia’s SBA was one of the first of its kind in the nation and Mark Manchin says they continue to set the bar for programs in other states.

“Other states have been calling and asking about our program, how we’re doing it here and how we distribute those funds and what criteria we’re using,” Manchin said. “A lot of people around this country are looking at the way we do business here.“

Manchin doesn’t foresee any problems with the audit process.

The audit is being conducted by Public Works/MGT of America. The auditors will look at public education laws, the school aid formula and local school policies.

The work is expected to be finalized by this fall.

AAA: West Virginia Gasoline Prices Drop almost 12 Cents

West Virginia motorists will be celebrating our country’s 235th birthday as well as another drop in gas prices this week.

The average price for a gallon of self-serve, regular unleaded gasoline in West Virginia declined 11.8 cents to $3.534.

Since May 24, 2011, West Virginia gas prices have tumbled 53.6 cents.

According to AAA’s Fuel Gauge, crude prices were down slightly Monday, June 27, following a week in which both market news and movement was driven by the announcement that the U.S. would release 30-million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) as part of a larger 60-million barrel release by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Crude oil settled down 55 cents on the day at $90.61 per barrel at the close of formal trading on the NYMEX.

This marks an almost $3 per barrel decline on the week.

IEA estimates that 132-million barrels of Libyan crude have been removed from the market through the end of May — 1.6-million barrels per day — following the escalation of unrest in that country in February.

The general expectation is that this production will remain out of the market for the rest of the year.

The decision to tap reserves was driven by this lost Libyan production and the failure of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on June 08 to reach an agreement to hike production quotas.

While this decision will likely place downward pressure on gasoline prices as crude oil prices move lower, it is important to note that this action was taken in response to economic concerns following a disruption in global oil supply and is not simply a reaction to high domestic gasoline prices at the pump.

Oil prices plummeted 5-6% immediately following this Thursday news and finished the day down $4.39 — 4.6% — at $91.02 per barrel.

This market weakness continued Monday as crude oil settled at $90.61 per barrel.

The decision to tap global oil reserves comes as the national average price of gasoline continues to decline.

The current national retail average price for a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline is $3.551.

This is 8.6 cents lower than the price one week ago, 23.9 cents lower than the price one month ago and 43 cents lower than the current high price for the year of $3.98 on May 05.

The current price at the pump is 79.3 cents more expensive than the price a year ago today.

This week’s average prices: West Virginia Average =  $3.534

Average price during the week of June 21, 2011 =  $3.652

Average price during the week of June 29, 2010 =  $2.758

Area Gasoline Prices on 06.28.11:

Arnoldsburg = $3.739

Burnsville = $3.649

Glenville =  $3.639 - $3.659

Grantsville =  $3.699 (Big Bend)

Gassaway =  $3.649

Harrisville = $3.599

Jane Lew = $3.599

Pennsboro =  $

Sutton =  $3.699

Weston =  $3.579

West Union =  $3.699

OddlyEnough: Natural Gas Fee Vote Pulled from PA House Agenda

House Republicans on Tuesday abruptly canceled a vote on an impact fee to produce revenue from Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction, only hours after they had announced it would be debated.

Majority Whip Stan Saylor, R-York, said the decision was made to buy time until a gubernatorial commission reviewing Marcellus Shale drilling issues reports to Governor Tom Corbett next month.

Earlier Tuesday, Corbett had said he would veto any gas tax or fee that might pass this week.

Saylor said the Democrats had agreed to postpone action on the politically charged topic until fall, and they did withdraw related amendments to the Fiscal Code.

But Minority Leader Frank Dermody, D-Allegheny, said there was no deal and would not rule out an attempt to pursue a Marcellus Shale amendment later this week. The state budget deadline is Thursday, after which the Legislature will probably recess until Labor Day.

“We’re not in charge of the calendar,“ Dermody said. “We’ll see what happens.“

The day began with House Republicans announcing votes on shale-tax amendments to a Senate-passed bill concerning hazardous site cleanups would be held in the afternoon.

The main GOP proposal, by Rep. Dave Reed, R-Indiana, would assess a fee on Marcellus Shale wells of $50,000 in the first year, $25,000 in the second and third years, and $10,000 a year for the next seven years.

The money would be collected and distributed at the county level, with 37.5% going to the host counties, 2% to host municipalities, 17.5% to all municipalities within a host county and 10% to county conservation districts, which help manage various local environmental protection efforts. The final 10% would go to host counties strictly for use by first responders and emergency medical services.

Dermody said his members want “a real, meaningful Marcellus Shale bill.“

“The amendment that was going to run is nothing near what’s required,“ he said. “It had no environmental protections. It was a very small impact fee.“

House Democratic spokesman Bill Patton noted that Reed’s amendment would repeal the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act, a 1988 law that funds environmental programs, including Pennsylvania’s share of the federal Superfund program, and pays for investigations of illegal hazardous waste disposals and methamphetamine labs.

Most Democrats and some Republicans have clamored for an extraction tax that would tap into revenue from the natural gas rush happening across a wide swath of Pennsylvania, from the rural northern tier counties to the state’s southwestern corner.

The Marcellus Shale formation, the nation’s largest-known natural gas reservoir, lies primarily beneath Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Ohio. Pennsylvania is the center of activity, with more than 3,000 wells drilled in the past three years and thousands more planned in the coming years as thick shale emerges as an affordable, plentiful and profitable source of natural gas.

When drilling companies began flocking to Pennsylvania several years ago to exploit the Marcellus Shale formation, they were largely working under laws from the 1980s that never envisioned deep-drilling activity that is combined with high-volume hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and the recent innovation of horizontal drilling underground.

So far, the Legislature has done little to change that, other than pass a bill to require faster public disclosure of well-by-well gas production data from Marcellus Shale wells and debate the merits of a tax on gas extraction.

G-LtE™: GCEA Letter to Public

Parents and Concerned Citizens of Gilmer County,

The Gilmer County Education Association (GCEA) wants to reassure the public, in light of recent changes instituted by the WVBE in our county school system, GCEA members are dedicated to ensuring the students of Gilmer County receive a high quality education and attend a great public school.

Our focus will continue to be that of assisting all students to succeed and achieve at the highest academic levels.

GCEA members are determined to work diligently with the new administration in order to move in a positive direction for enhancing the education process for our students.

Regardless of the difficult decisions which may lie ahead, we invite you to join with us as we work together to improve our school system in order to provide the best learning environment for the students of Gilmer County.

Continued dedication,

GCEA

FOUR-FAMILY BLOW-OUT Yard Sale - July 01-02, 2011

A FOUR-FAMILY BLOW-OUT Yard Sale will be on Friday, July 01, 2011 and Saturday, July 02, 2011 from 8:00 AM - ????

Many baby girl items.

JOHN DEERE Bed and Bath collection.

Too many other items to name.

MUST SEE !!!!!!!!!!

RAIN OR SHINE!

9697 Cedar Creek Rd., Cedarville, WV.

Back to Classroom for Teachers as Students

Hundreds of teachers from around the state are taking a week out of their summer to head back to class.

The West Virginia Center for Professional Development is sponsoring three summer training sessions.

The first got underway Tuesday at Capital High School in Charleston.

The professional development focuses on educators in four categories: those who teach advanced placement classes, mentor teachers, those educators trying to attain their National Board Certification and new teachers.

WVCPD Chief Operating Officer Lorrie Smith says the summer sessions allow teachers to focus on improving their own abilities.

“This is a good opportunity for them to come in and receiving training without being away from their classroom.“

Smith says it’s also a chance for teachers to network with one another.

“I think it gives them some support, not only the training, but also to know there are other teachers that are out there dealing with the exact same issues that they’re dealing with,” she said.

The center is offering two more summer training sessions.

One will be held in Morgantown in July.

Another in Flatwoods before school starts in August.

All total about 1,000 teachers will be part of one of the three sessions.

Smith says what they learn; they can take back to the classroom.

“Any professional development they get will ultimately increase their student achievement in their class because they’re increasing their knowledge as far as what they’re teaching their students,” she said.

The training program wraps up Friday.

Gilmer County Health Department Health Fair - 07.13.11

Drug Battle Top Issue for Sheriff Deputies

It’s the one issue every deputy and sheriff in the room could relate to. Drugs are a problem for law enforcement in every corner of the state.

The West Virginia State Deputy Sheriff’s Association is meeting this week in Charleston for their annual gathering.

Association president Terry Miller is a retired deputy from Wood County. He says he’s seen a major change in the amount and type of drugs on the street since he first put on the badge in 1974.

“Our drug task forces throughout the state are doing a great job of trying to contain it,” Miller said. “But it’s still out there and it’s a serious problem.

Miller says meth continues to be the biggest drug problem for West Virginia.

The association was in favor of legislation this past session that would have made pseudoephedrine, one of the main ingredients in meth, a controlled substance.

“We supported the methamphetamine bill…that would have put the precursors behind the counter and had to be prescribed by a doctor,” he said.

That bill failed to gain legislative support. But Miller says their battle goes on.

With new drugs popping up every day and prescription pills becoming a major source of abuse, he says interstate cooperation is key to battling the problem.

“We need to work closely with them so we’re not stopping it here and running it into that state or they’re not stopping it there and running into this state,” Miller said. “We have to work together because we have so many Border States.“

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin was a guest speaker at the meeting Tuesday.

He focused on the special drug task force he’s put together to help law enforcement target abuse problems.